Princess Welcomes 'Guide Dogs for the Blind' Group

[jleq]

http://www.prweb.com/releases/guide/dogs/prweb8500033.htm

[Toto2Kansas]

I watched that a few days ago, very interesting wasn't it?

[Coral]

My mom is visually impaired and we have brought Seeing Eye dogs on several cruise lines and Princess is by far the best to deal with in reference to the dog and my mom's disability.

 

This is probably why this company has chosen Princess to host their cruises.

[Fore on the Floor]

My wife and I have a real soft spot for working dogs and love Princess so this is perfect.

 

[Fore on the Floor]

Good on ya Princess. There was a working dog on our Alaska cruise and we thought is was great the cruise lines accommodate them.

[jlp20]

I can only assume we were on one of these cruise a few years ago. About 15 dogs and their owners on a cruise to Mexico. A little unusual the first day seeing dogs about the ship but then just normal ship life.

[IBsaved]

We just got off the Carnival Freedom 2 weeks ago and there was a large group of blind men and women with their guide dogs. It was amazing to watch them get around and how well behaved the dogs are. I had a lady on a treadmill next to me and her dog laid next to my treadmill and never budged. The staff and crew were so wonderful to them. I even got to help 4 wonderful ladies one night find a table by the bar and get them their drinks. They were so appreciative!! I did wonder where the dogs relieved themselves but now I know...cedar chip boxes! It's wonderful to see them travel and enjoy themselves so much. There were also many without guide dogs. I heard one lady say they see with their ears! God bless them all :)

[Saruman]

Wonderful!! Bravo, Princess. It's good to see that working dogs are so welcome on their vessels! And now, thanks to the flickr pics, I now know how they handle the "restroom" situation! Always wondered!:D

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

having cruised with Flow the guide dog, she has better manners than quite a few passengers on board,

 

would be happy to cruise with service dogs.

 

yours Shogun

[howard6933]

A few years ago we were on a Princess cruise and there was a lady with her service dog.

I became friendly with her and discreetly asked her how the dog does it's duty while onboard. She told me that they supplied her with an astro turf carpet for her balcony for the dog's use. Of course she had to clean it up when necessary. But the best part of this story is that her dog had sailed with Princess about 10 times and sported a Captain's Circle pin on it's collar. Isn't that terrific????

[sirwired]

I don't know if this is unusual for a cruise line, but it certainly is a nice thing for them to do. Since the ships are not US-flagged, I don't think they have to conform to ADA rules, so it's pretty nice that they do allow seeing-eye dogs. (I wonder what their policy is on other service animals? Seeing-eye dogs are pretty non-controversial, but there are many other types of service animals available. And, unfortunately, too many people that abuse the rules requiring US businesses to accommodate them.)

[Coral]

I don't know if this is unusual for a cruise line, but it certainly is a nice thing for them to do. Since the ships are not US-flagged, I don't think they have to conform to ADA rules, so it's pretty nice that they do allow seeing-eye dogs. )

 

The Supreme Court has ruled that because they stop in US ports and sail in US waters, they must abide by ADA regulations. Though, Princess was very accomodating before this Supreme Court ruling. It was an NCL situation that brought this to the Supreme Court.

[Coral]

But the best part of this story is that her dog had sailed with Princess about 10 times and sported a Captain's Circle pin on it's collar. Isn't that terrific????

 

I am not sure if it was my mom you met but my mom's dog often wears a blue "Margaritaville Island Dog" or a pink "I am a Princess" collar on cruises and it has a Captain Circle pin on it.

[howard6933]

I am not sure if it was my mom you met but my mom's dog often wears a blue "Margaritaville Island Dog" or a pink "I am a Princess" collar on cruises and it has a Captain Circle pin on it.

 

To the best of my recollection, the dog's name was ERIN. Was that your mom's dog??

[6pack]

This is fantastic! It's great to see Princes partnering with the community

[Coral]

To the best of my recollection, the dog's name was ERIN. Was that your mom's dog??

 

Erin was my mom's first dog - a small German Shepherd :) She was one of the first Seeing Eye dogs to travel on cruise ships and we were written up in Cruise Travel magazine in 2002 or so. I like to think the article opened up a lot of travel for service dogs as 12 years later since our first cruise with her - it is pretty common now. We had travel agents who saw that article stop us on cruise ships and thanked us for having the article written as they didn't realize it was possible.

 

Here is the article about them: http://books.google.com/books?id=dDEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=Island+Dog+Erin&source=bl&ots=0KrAHUrF-s&sig=vqNJpszgtI12_7BnRs1-dCG8doA&hl=en&ei=5_rgTcG9Gubr0QHk6uG6Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Island%20Dog%20Erin&f=false

 

Some of the info was inaccurate when written as dogs could go to Hawaii back then. Also, some of the info included in the article is now inaccurate as dogs can now travel to England, etc.... Also since then the Supreme Court has ruled on ADA regulations for cruise ships (which includes Service dogs) and many laws for individual countries/islands have also changed...... I just quickly looked at the cost of a Seeing Eye dog back then and it said $40,000 - it is now significantly higher than that. Thankfully there are a lot of wonderful people who donate to these organizations so that visually impaired individuals can benefit from these great dogs!

[RickEk]

I don't know if this is unusual for a cruise line, but it certainly is a nice thing for them to do. Since the ships are not US-flagged, I don't think they have to conform to ADA rules, so it's pretty nice that they do allow seeing-eye dogs. (I wonder what their policy is on other service animals? Seeing-eye dogs are pretty non-controversial, but there are many other types of service animals available. And, unfortunately, too many people that abuse the rules requiring US businesses to accommodate them.)

 

If the service animal is "certified" then it is allowed on the ships. I do think that some people take advantage of that and have brought their pets on board. We saw a woman with a chihuahua that she carried around in her purse a couple of cruises ago... she certainly didn't appear to be disabled. And yes, I know that some animals are trained to warn their owners of impending seizures and the like, but that didn't seem to be the case with this woman... :rolleyes:

[Coral]

If the service animal is "certified" then it is allowed on the ships.

 

The ADA has recently "re-defined or better clarified" what a service animal is and dogs that comfort people or provide companionship are not considered service dogs.

 

Here is more info: http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/changes

[RickEk]

The ADA has recently "re-defined or better clarified" what a service animal is and dogs that comfort people or provide companionship are not considered service dogs.

 

Here is more info: http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/changes

 

Excellent... that'll stop the folks that just need to bring "Poopsie" along for the ride... :)

[6pack]

I can't imagine wanting to bring a dog on a cruise unless you had a disability that required one. I have a Chocolate Lab who we love to death, however she won't be coming with us that's for sure!! It's like leaving your dog in a hot car - never do it!!

[ana0708]

How fantastic that Princess are allowing Guide Dogs to go on their ships? I was so pleased. I am a puppy walker for Guide Dogs for the Blind, our cruise is already booked for this year, and our puppy will go to a boarder, but next time, I would definitely consider a Princess cruise first, if we could take the puppy with us. What a wonderful experience for them? Well done Princess! :)

[I_heart_vaca]

How wonderful! If allowances can be made to allow people with any special need to participate in something then every step should be taken to allow it. Kudos to Princess for expanding thier own horizons to expand others. Of course, what a smart business decision....a whole new group of travellers who thought they couldn't cruise, now can.

 

I also think it is great there is structured meet and greet time with the dogs. People are naturally drawn to these wonderful, well behaved dogs, but often forget they are not pets, they are working dogs. I hate when people ignore the t-shirts and signs they wear asking people not to pet or approach the dogs. I love dogs, so I always ask permission to pet them, sometimes I just ask about them because I love dogs, but if the answer is no, it's no.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Very nice i am proud of princes